Local News in Brief : 2 Charged, 1 Sought in Illegal Drug Lab Case

Two men were charged Thursday with illegally manufacturing methamphetamine in a North Hollywood apartment complex police evacuated for safety reasons.

Edward Goldstein, 41, of West Los Angeles and Nicholas Winnen, 18, who lived at the apartment complex on Laurel Canyon Boulevard were arrested Monday when police raided the lab in a small one-bedroom apartment.

Los Angeles Police Detective Ed Auerbach said residents at the 100-unit complex had complained to police of strong odors. During the raid, police found equipment and chemicals in a closet of the apartment.

Auerbach said the men were in the final stages of manufacturing five pounds of the crystallized drug, which would have had a street value of about $750,000. He said residents of the project were evacuated while the Los Angeles Police Department’s hazardous chemical response team removed the volatile chemicals, including ether.

“It was kind of scary,” Auerbach said of the potential for an explosion.

Police have issued an arrest warrant for Sam Hughes, 40, who also lived at the apartment. He is believed to have had a connection to the lab, Auerbach said. Goldstein and Winnen were arraigned Thursday in Van Nuys Municipal Court and bail was set at $75,000 for each.